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(No Model.) Y 2 sheets-sheet 1. J. K.. HARRIS.

BUTTON EOLE ATTACHMENT EOE SEWING MACHINES.

No. 340,715. t Patented Apr. 27,1886.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. K. HARRIS. BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT POR SEWING MACHINES.

No. 340,715. Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

JOHN K. HARRIS, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HARRIS BUTTON-HOLE ATTACHMENT COMPANY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

BUTTON-HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHlNES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,715, dated April 27, 1886.

Application filed July 27, 1885. Serial No. 172,722. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that l, JOHN K. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio,

have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Button-Hole Attachments for Sewing-"liachiiies, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of myiiiventioii is to provide certain convenient mechanism whereby the feedb'ars of sewing-machine button-hole attachments maybe continuously and automatically operated in working both sides'and barring i 5 both ends of a button-hole, and may be readily adjusted. for working button-holes of different lengths, this mechanism being an improvement on that embraced by my Patent No. 318,471, dated May 26, 1885.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a button-hole attachment with the preferred form of my invention applied thereto, and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views of the piii-cylinder and its fastening devices, and Figs. (i and 7 show a slightly-modified form of pin-cylinder. Fig. S is a detail plan view of the ratchetwheel, pinion, the guiding-hub on the latter, and the adjusting hand-wheel. Fig. 9 is a plan View showing the guiding-slot in the feedbar for the pinion-hub and the means for varying the working length of said slot. Fig. 10 is a plan view of a portion of a button-hole attachment with a modified form of my invention applied thereto, and Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 12 shows interchangeable plates of different lengths for use with the form of my invention shown in Figs. 10 and 11. Figs. 13, 14, and 15 showin 4o plan, elevation, and section, respectively, an-

other modilication of myinvention; and Figs. 1G, 17, 18, and 1 9 are detail views thereof.

A denotes the base-plate of the attachment, and E the feed-bar thereof, thelatter carrying 4.5 at its forward end a cloth-clainp, C, as is usual.

The feed-bar may be oscillated or vibrated laterally, to form the over-edge or button-hole stitches, by any suitable mechanism, the vibrating mechanism which is employed in the the same as that fully shown and describedin my Patent No. 235,235, dated December 7, 1880, and also sliownin my Patent No. 318,471, hereinbefore referred to.

D isa lever by which the device is operated from the needle-bar of the sewing-machine, said lever having a vertical arm, to which is connected a pawl, E, for operating a ratchetwheel, F, as in my Patent No. 318,471.

The feed-bar B is provided at its rear end with a guiding-slot, D, one end of which is concave, and in the other end of said slot fits an adjustable block, b', having a concave inner face. The block b is attached to a plate, 1)2, secured by a screw, b3, in any one of a series of holes, b4, in the feed-bar B. By changing the position of the block b in the slot b the working length of said slot may be varied, as

may be required.

Attached to ratchet-wheel F is a guiding hub or boss, C, and above said hub is a pinion, H, which is held in contact with a rack consisting of a series of pins, i', by said hub. The pins z' are placed centrally above the guidingslot b, and the said hub engages with the wall forming the boundary of said slot.

In the preferred forni of my invention the pins fr' are attached to and project radially from a cylinder, l, which carries several rows of pins, said rows being of different lengths. The cylinder l is jonrnaled in asniall bracket, fi, attached to the rear end of the feed-bar B, said cylinder being adapted to be rotated in said bracket to bring any desired row of pins into working position, according to tlielength of button-hole which is to be worked. journal ol` the cylinder .l is provided with a head, ft2, having the grooves il" crossing each other. Pivoted to the bottom of the bracket t" is a small locking-latch, i", fitted to enter the grooves if", and when said latch is engaged with one of said grooves it is held in pla-ce by a catch or loop, if, pivoted to the top of said bracket.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that my device may be quickly changed when it is desired to make a longer or shorter buttonhole by turning the catch and loop i* to the positions indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4,

The

50 attachment herein shown being substantially and then partially rotating the cylinder l, to ico bring the desired row of pins into proper pesition to be engaged by the pinion H. The cylinder is then again locked by turning the latch up and the catch down, and the block b is adjusted to lengthen orshortcn the guidingslot b, to correspond to the row of pins in working position, when the device is again ready for operation.

In Figs. l to 5, inclusive, the cylinder1 I is shown as consisting of several separated ribsone rib for each row of pins-said ribs being attached together at their rear ends. 'I his form of cylinder is somewhat lighter than that shown in Figs. 6 and 7; but the latter is more easily constructed.

J is an adjusting or hand wheel attached to the hub of the ratchet-wheel, 011 the lower side of the latter, a washer or washers, j, preferably of cloth or other soft material,beingherein shown interposed between said hub and Vhand-wheel to separate the hand-wheel from the lower side of the base-plate, and thus pre,- vent frictional contact with the latter.

By means of thc hand-wheel .l the pinion II may be turned to adjust the feed-bar to any desired position without operating the pawl E, and when thedctent-pawleis releasedlrom the ratchet-wheel the fcedbar may be moved in either direction by the hand-wheel.

The operation of my invention is essentially the same as in my Patent No. 318,471., hereinbefore referred to. As the lever Dis vibrated,the pawl E is moved back and forth, imparting an intermittent rotary movement to the ratchet-wheel F and. pinion H, and the latter, gearing with the rack formed by the pins t', connected with the feedbar, will impart an intermittent lengthwise movement to the latter to work one side ofthe button-hole. NVhen the end of the guiding-slot b reaches the hub G, the feed-bar is moved sidewise to form a bar at the end of the button-hole, and, owing to the concave shape of the end of said guiding-slot, the stitches forming said barare spaced a little, the two series of stitches on the opposite sides of the button-holeoverlapping each other, and thus making the button-hole strong at the end. Vhen the sidewise or barring movement of the feed-bar is completed, the said bar is again moved endwise in a direction A opposite to its iirst movement to work the other side of the buttoirhole, and when the other end of the latter is reached the barring operation, as above described, is repeated, and the button-hole is then completed.

In my Patent No. 318,471., above noted, the pinion is held in contact with the rack by means of an extension of the pinion-shaft working in contact with a guide placed above the rack; but the said extension ofthe shaft, being slender, was liable to break.

In my improved device, as herein shown, the guiding hub or boss G is comparatively large and strong, and being between the ratchet-wheeland pinion,thcre is not so much strain or purchase on it as thoughit were above the pinion. Moreover, the wallof the ellipti cal slot b in the feed-bar forms a convenient and strong bearingsurface for the said hub, to enable the latter to hold the pinion H in continuous engagement with the pins with which it gears.

In themodiiied form of my invention shown in Figs. l() and ll, the pins with which the pinion H gears are carried by interchangeable plates I', Fig. l2, said plates having rows of pins of different lengths for working differentsized button-holes. The adjustable block b', by which Vthe working length of the guidingslot b in the feed-bar is varied, is' provided with an arm, c, and said block is secured in any desired position by a set-screw, d.

In the modification shown in Figs. 13, lei, and l5 the pins are carried in sections by blocks I, which are vertically adjustable by means of screws L, swiveled in a bracket, B, attached to the feed-bar, said pins passing through a steadying-plate, M, iitting in said bracket.

For working a button-hole with an enlarged end or eye the guiding-slot b in the feedv bar will be formed as shown in Fig. 1G, and. the pins i will be arranged as indicated by the arrangement of holes in the steadying-plate shown in Fig. 17 but for working straight button-holes the arrangement of the pins will be as indicated in Fig. 19, and the shape ofthe guidingslot will be as shown in Fig. 18.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a button-hele attachment for sewingmachines, the combination, with a feed-bar having a clotlrciamp at its forward end and a guidingslot at its rear end, of a series of pins arranged centrally of said guiding-slot, an intermittingly-retated ratchet-wheel, a pinion operated by said wheel, and a hub or boss between said wheel and pinion, for holding the latter in continuous engagement with said pins, substantially as set forth.

2. In a button-hole attachment for sewingmachines, the combination, with a feed-bar having a cloth-clamp at its forward end and rear end, of a series of pins arranged centrally of said guiding-slot, an intermittingly-rotated ratchet-wheel, a pinion operated bysaid wheel, and a hub or boss between said wheel and pinion, for holding the latter in continuous engagement with said pins, substantially as set forth.

3. In a `button-hole attachment for sewingmachines, the combination, with a feed-bar having a cloth-clamp at its forward end and an adjustable or extensible guiding-slot atits rear end, of an intermittingly-rotated pinion and a cylinder having several rows of pins projecting radially from its periphery, said rows being of different lengths, and said cylinder being adapted to be rotated to bring any one of said rows into operative position relative to said pinion, substantially as set forth.

4. In a button-hole attachment for sewingmachines, the combination, with the feedbar,

ICO

an adjustable or extensible guiding-slot at its cloth-clamp, and intermittingly-rotated pinion, of a cylinder having several rows of pins and a grooved head7 a bracket in which said cylinder is journaled, a pivoted locking-latch for said cylinder, anda catch for securing said latelrin locking position, substantially as set forth.

5. In a button-hole attachment for sewingmaehines, the combination, with a feed-bar having a cloth-clamp and a rack, of a pinion gearing with said rack, a ratehetwheei for 

